By CL-member request, a Test-Drive of the 2012 BMW 6-series.

(640i Convertible)

http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/conte...e/default.aspx

IN A NUTSHELL: Muscle-car acceleration and typical BMW road-manners, but many of the controls are too complex.

CLOSEST COMPETITORS: Audi A7, Mercedes E and S-Class coupes, Cadillac CTS coupe.






















I had a request from a well-respected CL member for a test-drive of the 2012 BMW 6-Series (not necessarily a full-review). So, since most, if not all, of the 2012/2013 CL full-review requests I have are currently on hold because the vehicles have not been released yet, and I had time today to do a 6-Series, I decided to get it done while I could. Here in the D.C. Metro area, the 6-series sells decently (along with almost every, other mass-produced vehicle), but clearly not as good as other BMWs.....the slow-selling X6 excepted. With the advent of spring in this area, dealerships seem to have mostly the 640i or 650i convertibles in stock instead of the slightly less-expensive coupes (less-expensive, of course, being a relative-term, since this is a VERY expensive vehicle). The dealership I was at, for example, despite being a good-sized BMW shop, had only two 6-series models in stock.....both of them 640i convertibles; one silver and one black. Since I wasn't going to do a full-review on it; only a basic test-drive, I picked out the silver one, which listed for a cool $92,825. It had a black, multi-lined fabric power- top and black, perforated-all leather interior (not that imitation-leather junk that BMW uses on some of its other vehicles, but you pay stiffly for it). A closer-in BMW shop might have had a coupe in stock, but that place is undersized, cramped, sat in a very dense stop-and-go traffic-area which would have prevented a good test-drive, and, from previous experience, tended to have some arrogant BMW reps. So, I went out a little further, to a BMW shop in a far-better atmosphere for driving and spatial-environment.

And I got a nice surprise when I got there. No sooner had I parked my Subaru in a Visitor's space and stepped out when I heard somebody shout "Hey Mike". I turned around, and there was a sales-guy I knew who had previously sold Fords, Toyotas, and Hondas (and I had gone to high-school with him over 40 years ago). I had previously bought a Toyota from him back in the 1990s (as had some other people I had shopped with and refered), and hadn't seen him for some time (maybe 3 or 4 years). I didn't know he was selling BMWs now. He was sitting on a electric-cart (they use those at that rather large dealership to get around outside). I told him what I was there for....(a 6-series test-drive)......and got the stock-number for him from the silver 640 convertible. He said "Sure, no problem. Hang on. I'll be right back with the keys". So he scooted off, brought the keys and a test-drive tag back a couple of minutes later, tossed them to me, and said "Have fun, but keep the miles down...the boss doesn't want a lot of mileage on them". So, I agreed to do just as much as I basically needed for an adequate evaluation, and that was it......no unnecessary miles.

I always look forward to BMW test-drives. although some of the very newest models aren't quite as tactile-perfect in their driving feel and road-manners as they were several years ago. Still, the term "Ultimate Driving Machine", with BMW, is not just a silly misnomer used in marketing like with some other auto companies (Mazda's Zoom-Zoom being one example). With BMW, IMO, there actually is some truth to it. BMW's, as far as I'm concerned, ARE pleasant and fun to drive, though some of the dash and console controls can be a pain in the a**.

For 2012, the 6-series comes in 640i and 650i versions, coupe or convertible, and a 640i Gran Coupe. 650i coupes and convertibles both offer the x-drive AWD option (AWD is unusual in convertibles). A new M6 model will debut at the Geneva Auto Show this year, but is not offered yet in the U.S. Even the standard V6 twin-turbo powertrain offers muscle-car acceleration, though, without the M option....and an M-version would likely cost well over 100K. 640i models get an in-line 3.0L twin-turbo six with 315 HP and 332 ft-lbs. of torque, while 650i models get a 4.4L Twin-turbo V8 with 400 HP and 450 ft-lbs. of torque (I sampled the 4.4L a while ago in the 550i).

As forementoned, my test-car was a 640i convertible with the 8-speed Sport-Shift automatic. Conventional 6-speed manual- transmission options are only available on the 650i...I don't know why BMW won't offer them on the 640i. I didn't write up a full-review, but test-drive details coming up.


MODEL TEST-DRIVEN: 2012 BMW 640i Convertible

BASE PRICE: $81,900

OPTIONS:

Black Nappa Leather: $3000

Instrument-Panel Leather: $3000

Cold-Weather Package: $750

Premium Sound Package: $1800

Luxury Seating Package: $1500


DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $875

LIST PRICE AS DRIVEN: (Ouch!) $92,825


DRIVETRAIN: RWD, Longitudinally-mounted 3.0L in-line twin-turbo six, 315 HP @ 5800-6000 RPM, Torque 332 ft-lbs. @ 1400-4500 RPM,
8-speed Sport-shift automatic transmission.

EPA MILEAGE RATING: 20 City / 30 Highway (not bad for this engine's power and response)


EXTERIOR COLOR: Titaniun Silver Metallic (Interestingly enough, this did not cost extra like Metallics usually do on BMWs)

INTERIOR: Black Perforated Leather (yes, the real stuff)


Before we get to the actual test-drive, I just want to say a few brief sentences about the exterior and interior. The body panels felt very light, as if they were made of thin plastic. According to the BMW people, they are actually aluminum....one reason for the car's expense. The silver metallic paint, for some reason, did not cost extra like metallics often do on BMWs...and other European-nameplates. And, inside, I found the I-Drive (though supposedly simpler and improved) just as frustrating and confusing as always. I've never liked BMW's I-Drive or Audi's similiar MMI, and this one is no exception.

Start up the silky-smooth in-line twin-turbo six with an ignition-fob and the START/STOP button. It idles smoother and quieter than a lot of V8s. BMW in-line sixes, like the Toyota/Lexus in-line 3.0L I had in my old Lexus IS300, have a reputation for smoothness.....it's a shame that BMW plans to replace them soon with newer V6s, like Lexus did. Release the electric parking-brake tab with your finger, flick the snap-loaded plastic electronic-shifter into Drive (those BMW electronic-shifters are something else inside I don't care for), and take off. The engine's only fault from perfection (if there was one) seemed to be a slightly jumpy Drive-by-Wire throttle that was sometimes hard to start smoothly from a stop. Like some other engines (notably the VW/Audi 2.0T), I honestly think that the 332 ft-lbs. of torque on the twin-turbo 3.0L six is underrated, perhaps for insurance reasons. Its silky-smooth, refined, but strong power shoves you back into your seat with muscle-car response.....almost as hard as the 400 HP/450 ft-lbs. 4.4 twin-turbo V8 I remember sampling in the BMW 550 GT. The engine remains fairly quiet as the power comes on (torque-peak starts at a low 1400 RPM), and little exhaust-noise enters the cabin with the top up. This car, like most BMWs, felt like it could run at triple-digit speeds all day long on the Autobahn without even a blink. The 8-speed Sport-shift automatic, with shift-paddles on the steering column, like the engine, was smooth and quiet, though the 8 speeds were probably overkill for American driving conditions. It shifted resonsively and trigger-quick. An adjustable switch on the console programs the engine, transmission, steering, and suspension response in one of four modes, from COMFORT+ to SPORT+. I briefly sampled all four, and, by the seat of my pants, noticed only minor differences.

The chassis-engineering is the usual BMW excellence, though, in all four modes, I noticed a slight loss of the traditionally superb BMW tactile-feel to the steering and front-tires. Still, it was noticeably better then with most cars I sample. All four modes, as is usual with BMWs, produced an excellent combination/balance of ride-comfort and handling. Steering-response, especially in COMFORT and COMFORT+, wasn't quite as fast as some other BMWs I remember, but there is very little body-lean on cornering. The excellent suspension soaks up a lot of bumps, even in SPORT and SPORT+ modes, while maintaining good handling. Very few carmakers outside BMW, Porsche, some Audis, some Mercedes products, and some Subarus, IMO, can design suspensions with ride/handling balances this good. With the top up, the thick multi-lined fabric effectively filtered out most of the wind-noise, which was quite low by top-up-convertible standards. Most of the road noise was also filtered out, despite the somewhat mildly-aggressive tires. The top and all four windows lower at the touch of a console-button, which takes about twenty seconds. With the top down, wind-buffeting is reasonable, and the superb stereo (my test-car had a premium-stereo package) is still easily heard. Brakes are exactly what you would expect on a classic German sport-coupe....firm, lacking sponginess, and with good linear-response. The brake-pedal, though not quite perfect in its location for my big size-15 clown-shoes, generally did not give much of a hang-up problem when lifting my foot from the gas to the brake-pedal. Cowl-shake, once a significant problem with convertibles and other cars without solid-roofs, was practically non-existant in the 640i convertible. It was hard to tell if the extremely minor quiver in the steering-wheel that would come and go (mostly go) was actually cowl-shake from the convertible-chassis or maybe just a tire a hair out of balance.

All in all, the 640i was a real treat to drive. Despite my well-known dislike of BMW and Audi dash-controls and console-shifter-designs, I almost always look forward to driving them, though, for several reasons, they would not necessarily be my first choices as daily-drivers.

And, as always.........Happy Car Shopping.

MM

 

Another top notch write-up!

While so many hate this car, I just love it!

 

Thanks.

The styling is so-so, and the I-Drive and electronic-shifter can both be a pain in the a** getting used to. But, in general, I agree with you......it is indeed a nice car to drive.

 

You hit the nail on the head there! Styling is questionable. idrive is awful. Shifter......take it or leave it. But driving experience is just so nice!

 

$92k Jeepers Creepers!!!

 

And that's for a 640i convertible, with options. Just imagine what a loaded 650i runs.

 

Nice review Mike! I've been reading a lot of reviews on the 640i, and many have preferred it to the 650i due to its lighter weight and better balance. For a few thousand you could probably get a Dinan tune and get numbers close to the 650i. I Love'em both regardless though if I were in search of a coupe/vert of this caliber it wouldn't be my first choice lol

 

Thanks. It was more of just a test-drive, though, than a full-review.

The 650i, though, has the option of big 20-inch high-performance wheels/tires that (probably) overcome some of the tendency of the greater weight and imbalance to understeer.

A few thousand dollars hardly describes anything on this car.

 

That car is so sexy, wish I had the money to buy one

 

Instead of buying, they told me at the BMW shop yesterday that this car would do a 3-year lease, 15,000 miles a year, for roughly $5000-5500 down and $700-800 a month.

Also, of course, if you're young and have much of your working-life still ahead of you, it's important, from what you have, to set aside some money each month for future retirement and other personal or family needs.....you don't want to blow too much of it on a car.

 

The 6 series was a car on my radar but the new model doesn't excite me the way the previous model did. It's more bland and big as a pig at 192 inches long. The size would be fine with better styling and more power. For around 100K, it should have more power imo.

I visited our local dealer to test drive one but changed my mind after really seeing it up close. It just didn't excite me. I'm sure it looks way better with a nice set of wheels but I prefer more stylishness in my cars than this one offers.

The Benz CL is about the same cost but with a lot more style. It probably doesn't ride as well but neither is a sport car. I think BMW missed the mark on the 6.

I've seen very few verts and no coupes of the 6 on the road. That says a lot for south Florida.

 

Wow, 90K for a 640i!! And the Instrument-Panel Leather: $3000??? All the new cars and options nowadays...

 

BMW upgrades are always so expensive, It's ridiculous! and their base models are terribly ill equipped. lol

I did see one of these new 6 series flying by me on the freeway today though. I like the styling better then the outgoing model. It looked pretty sharp in white. I'm sure it drives just like a BMW should, but I'd never buy one tho

 

too big. gimmie 18"/19" anyday

 

BMW seems to be one of the few manufacturers that can get decent ride-quality out of big wheels and low-profile, rubber-band tires. I agree though, that 20" is, for most driving, larger than necessary. Why Toyota puts 20" rims on the V6 Venza (and 19" rims on the four-cylinder model) beats me. There'a s a big difference between the Venza and a high-performance BMW. 20" tires, in many cases, also cost a fortune to replace.